Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



ZSheets-SheetZ. H. GOODMAN.

BR'EECH-LOADING FIRE-ARM.

No.185,912. Patented Jan.2, 1877.

FIG 3.

N. PETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAFHER. v/ASmNGTON, L C.

HENRY GOODMAN, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO LEWIS LOOKWOOD, OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.4 l5,92, dated January 2, 1877; application led July 22, 1876. l

10 all whom lit may concern Be it known that I, HENRYGOODMAN, of the city and county of St. Louis, and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Breech -Loading Fire- Arms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specication.

Y The rst part of myimprovement relates to the appliances for cooking the gun simultaneously with the opening ofthe breech. In this the hammers turn ou the-same pivot as the breech-block, which latter, by contact with the striking-face of the hammers, carries them back with it as it is swung back.

The second part of my improvement relates to the appliances for extracting the shells of the cartridges. In thisalever passing through an aperture in the extractor is pushed back by cams on the hammers when they are th rown back beyond the full-cock.

The third part of my improvement relates to a device for causing the positive backward movement of the firing-pins, from their ccntact with the cartridge-shells, to allow the breech-block to be easily thrown up from its tiring position. In the above, projections on the turn-pin of the catch engage shoulders on the bring-pins as the catch is retracted, and the catch and firing-pins are thus simultaneously drawn back.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section at :z: Fig. 5, showing the breechblock in firing position. Fig. 2 is a similar section, showing the breech-block in loading position. Fig. 3 is a detail longitudinal section at @cl x1, Fig. 5, showing the firing-pin and connections. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the cartridge-extractor. Fig. 5 is a transverse section at .002 x2, Fig. l.

A is the stock, and B the barrel or barrels. I shall describe my improvement as applied to a double-barreled gun; but it is evident that the same is equally applicable toA singlebarreled guns. O is the trigger-guard; D,a trigger. E is the scar-spring. The projection e of the trigger forms the sear, and is arranged to engage iu either the full-cock or half-cock notches f and fl of the hammer-hubs F1. G

is the main or hammer spring, connected to the hammer-hub by a link, g. The hammers F turn on a pin, B, which also forms the hinge-pin of the breech-block I. The front face I ofthe breech-block ts accurately the rear ends of the barrels, which are open to receive ordinary metallic cartridges, against whose butts the face l of the breech-block presses when in the tiring position. rIhe faces F2 .of the hammers come in Contact wlth the rear ends of the tiring-pins t' as the hammers descend, and cause the explosion of the cartridges, in the usual way. The breech-block is held down, when in tiring position, byacatch, J, projecting from a turn-pin, K, at whose ends are vthumb-lugs k, by pressure against which the catch J is retracted from the projection Z, against which it engages, and the fore end ofthe block may then be swung up to expose the breech of the barrels. J is a spring, tending to hold the catch J in the position shown. The projection l, against which the catch J engages, is upon the cartridgeextractor L. The front end Ll of the cartridgeextractor extends up between the barrels, and engages against the inside of the flanges at the butt of the cartridges, so that when-the extractor is drawn backward the shells are drawn back with it, and may-then be drawn out of the barrels by hand. mv is a vertical plate, sliding` in dovetail groove at the end of the extractor. The plate m is hxed in position by a screw, m. Against the lower end of the plate m rests the fore end of the spiral spring M, which tends to push the extractor forward into the position shown in the drawings. P is a slot in the extractor, through which passes the curved lever N, fulcrumed at n. The upper end of the lever N rests against the hammer-hubs Fl. F3 is a caniprojection on each hub, which cams, as the hammers are thrown back behind full-cock, come in contact with the upper end of the lever N, and force it backward against the rear end of the slot l2, to draw back the extractor L.

When the breech-block is swung forward sufficiently to allow the shell-extractor to return to its forward position, anotch, c', of the lever N engages ou projections f2 in the haar,

mer-hubs, and prevents the further forward movement of the hammers and breech-block until sufficient pressure is brought upon the block to release the projections f2 from the notch u.

It will be understood that the shell-extractor L and the lever N are both drawn forward by the spring M, and both forced backward by the cams F3, the latter movement taking place when the breech-block is drawn back to the extreme position. Upon the turn-pin K (of the catch J) are projections or teeth 7c, which, as the catch is thrown back, engage shoulders i1 ofthe firing-pins and force them backward, so that their fore ends will not interfere with the upward movement of the forward end of the breech-block. 2 is the usual spiral spring by which the ring-pin is drawn backward.

At the under side of the barrels is a rib, b, which is T-formed in transverse section, andv in the stock is a groove, a, made to fit the rib b, as shown. The barrels are prevented from moving endwise on the stock by a screw, a2, passing upward through the stock, and entering a recess, bf, in the rib. The screw is turned by a handle, a3. The rib-and-groove connection a b allows of the adjustment of the barrels on the stock to compensate for wear of the ends of the barrels and breech-block by the friction of these surfaces against each other. In making this adjustment the recess b would be plugged and another recess made in the proper place. The arrangement allows the barrels to be removed from the stock at any time (for the cleaning or other purpose) without the use of any tool.

The operation is as follows: When the gun has been discharged, the thumb-lug lo on either side may be forced upward, so as to retract the catch J. This movement forces back the tiring-pins. The forward end of the breechblock may then be thrown upward and backward, and carries the hammers with it to fullcock'; and on continuing to move the block backward the cams F3 are brought in contact with the upper end of the lever N, and force back the lever to draw back the shell-extractor. The breech-block may then be moved forward until the catch f2 enters the notch n. The cartridge-shells may then be taken from the barrels and fresh cartridge-shells inserted. The breech-block is then returned to its ring position. As the breech-block moves forward the catch f2 escapes from the notch n. As the hammers reach the position of full-cock, their further forward movement is `prevented by the sear projections of the triggers, and the breech-block may continue its forward movement. If it is desired that the forward movement of the hammers shall not be arrested at full-cock, but at half-cock, the sear is carried past the full-cock notch by a pivoted fly, as usual, or by other suitable means. It will be seen that the mainsprings act to throw up the breech-piece as soon as the catch J is retracted.

I claim- 1. The combination, with the breech-block I and hammer F, turning on a pin common to both, of mainspring G, attached to the block and connected to the hammer, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the pivoted breechblock I, of the hammer F, external to the breech-block, turning on the same pivot, and placed in the course of the breech-block, so that the gun will be cocked by the act of opening the breech, in the manner explained.

3. The combination of slidingshell-extractor L, lever N, and cam F3 with the breech-block I and hammer F, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the breech-block I, mainspring G, hammer F, having rib or projection f2, and lever N, with notch n', substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. Thecombination of the turn pinK, thumb piece or lug k, and projection k with the firing-pin z', substantially as set forth.

HENRY GOODMAN. 

